GERMAN CUISINE

German cooking is a medley of traditional and contemporary dishes, with a large variety and gourmet mixtures of the indigenous and the exotic, the conventional and the extra modern.  One can find astonishing satisfaction in every bite of most meals. It is truly a superb great cuisine. 

Here are a few recipes of German dishes which I hope you will enjoy.

                                         

                                              BROKKOLISOUPPE

                                                 (Broccoli Soup)

This a delicious cream soup.

750 g (1 ½ lb) broccoli, trimmed, cut into florets and thoroughly washed, reserve 10 tiny florets for garnish

750 ml (3 cups) chicken stock

750 ml (3 cups) cold water

60 g (2 oz) butter

1 bay leaf

45 g (1 ¼ oz) plain flour

250 ml (1 cup) milk

A pinch of salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

¼ tsp grated nutmeg

1 egg yolk

¼ tsp lemon juice

Chop the broccoli coarsely.  Bring the chicken stock to the boil and add the 10 tiny florets and boil briskly for about 10 minutes or until tender, remove and set aside. Reserve the stock.

Melt the butter add the bay leaf and sauté over low heat, stirring constantly, but do not let it brown.  Pour in the stock and the milk and whisk constantly, for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture bubbles and thickens slightly.  Then add the chopped broccoli, salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.  Simmer very gently, half-covered, for about 15 minutes until tender and remove from the heat to cool a little.


Then puree with a blender until smooth.   Return the puree to the saucepan and whip the egg yolk with a fork and add the lemon juice and keep on beating.  Then add 6 tbsp of hot broccoli puree, 2 at a time, whisking vigorously each time. Return the saucepan to the stove and heat thoroughly but do not boil. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.  Serve garnished with the reserved, tiny florets and "guten appetit!"

                                   HEILBUTT UNTERM SAHNEBERG

                                  (Halibut Under a Mountain of Cream)

Please do prepare this lovely fish dish.

125 ml (½ cup) dry white wine

250 ml (1 cup) water

4 parsley sprigs

1 small rosemary sprig

1 small bay leaf

6 black peppercorns

6 rashers of bacon

1 ½ tbsp finely chopped onion

60 g (4 oz) butter, softened

1 kg (2 lb) halibut fillets, cut into serving pieces

500 g (1 lb) prawns, shelled, deveined thoroughly washed and cooked 2 minutes each side with a rosemary twig and sprinkle with a little salt

Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp lemon juice

The grated rind of ½ lemon

1/8 tsp paprika

8 tsp double cream whipped to stiff peaks

4 tbsp finely grated Parmesan

Bring the first five ingredients to the boil, lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for twenty minutes.  Remove from the heat and reserve.

Cook the bacon until lightly brown but still limp and transfer to a double thickness of kitchen paper to drain.  Pour all but 1 tbsp of the fat from the frying pan add the onions and sauté, stirring frequently until the onions are soft but not brown.

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and butter the bottom and sides of an ovenproof dish large enough to hold the fish fillets in one layer with 30 g (1 oz) butter.   Lay the fish fillets side by side in the dish and sprinkle with a little salt and freshly ground white pepper and the sautéed onions and cover with the bacon.  Strain the wine mixture over the fish pressing hard on the onions and herbs in order to extract all their aromas and savour.  Bake in the middle of the oven for 12 minutes or until the fish is cooked and opaque. Discard the bacon, arrange the prawns evenly over the fish and pour the cooking liquid through a fine sieve into a bowl. Cover the dish and set it aside.

To prepare the sauce measure the cooking liquid and pour it into a small saucepan.  If it is more than 6 tbsp boil it briskly until it reduces to that amount.  If it is less, add more wine.  Bring the liquid to the boil over moderate heat and make a paste with the remaining butter and the flour until smooth. (beurre manie')   Add it bit by bit to the simmering liquid.   Reduce the heat and simmer very gently, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.  Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and paprika. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.

Fold the whipped cream into the sauce and pour it quickly over the fish and prawns and sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan.  Slide the baking dish under a grill and grill for1-2 minutes until the cheese melts and sauce browns lightly.  Serve immediately.

                                      REBSCHNITZELS MIT PILZEN

                                  (Venison Cutlets with Mushrooms)

A delightful dish to prepare for your family and friends.

10 juniper berries

5 black peppercorns

A small bay leaf

 1 tbsp of chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Salt to taste

6x210g - 1kg 250 g (about 2 lb 8 oz) venison cutlets, pounded slightly

75 g (1.5 oz) flour

60 g (2 oz) butter

A little corn oil

250 g (½ lb) fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced

250 ml (1 cup) or more single cream

Pound together the first fine ingredients with a mortar and pestle.   Then firmly massage the herb mixture over the cutlets, dip the cutlets into the flour and shake off the excess. Melt the butter with a little corn oil over medium heat and fry the venison cutlets for 2-3 minutes on each side until evenly brown.  Do not overcook the cutlets as they should be slightly pink inside.   Arrange them side by side on a heated dish and cover with foil.

Add the sliced mushrooms to the frying pan and saute over moderate heat stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes, then sift in 15 g (½ oz)  flour and cook, stirring constantly for a minute or two.  Add the cream and simmer stirring until the sauce thickens slightly adding more cream if necessary.  Taste for seasoning and pour the sauce over the cutlets and serve.

                                               KARTOFFELKLOSSE

                                                (Potato Dumplings)

A tasty side dish.

150 g (5 oz) butter

120 g (4 oz) dried white breadcrumbs

2-3 slices white bread crusts removed then cubed

60 g (2 oz) plain flour

90 g (3 oz) fine semolina

3 tsp salt

1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

750 g (1 ½ oz) potatoes, boiled, peeled and forced through a ricer

2 eggs
Chopped parsley for garnish

Melt 120 g (4 oz) butter, over medium heat, in a small frying pan and sauté the breadcrumbs stirring constantly until they are light brown. Reserve off the heat. Then sauté the bread cubes in the remaining butter, stirring frequently, until they are crisp  and light brown, and place the croutons on a double thickness of kitchen paper to drain.

Place the flour, semolina, salt, nutmeg and white pepper in a bowl and mix well together. Then beat them, a few spoonfuls at a time into the riced potatoes.   Lightly whip the two eggs with a fork and stir them into the potato mixture.   Continue beating until the dough holds itself lightly in a spoon.  If it is too thin add some more flour, a teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

With floured hands shape 2 tbsp of dough into a rough ball and press a hole in the centre with your fingertip and insert 2-3 croutons, then fold the dough over and press it in order to cover the croutons completely.

Half fill a large saucepan with water add 2 tsp of salt and bring to a bubbling boil.  Drop in the dumpling and stir once or twice to prevent them from sticking to each other,  Simmer gently for 13-15 minutes until the dumpling rise to the surface of the water.  Cook 1 minute longer and transfer the dumplings with a perforated spoon and arrange them on a hot dish.   Serve at once sprinkled with the reserved toasted breadcrumbs and chopped parsley.  

                                 CHICOREE MIT SCHINKEN UND KASE

                                  (Chicory baked with Ham and Cheese)

I would be committing sacrilege if I did not include the recipe of this fabulous German vegetable dish!

8 heads of chicory, trimmed and cored so that the leaves don’t separate, then washed and patted dry

197.5 ml (¾ cup) milk

197.5 ml (¾ cup) water

Salt to taste

8 thin slices of precooked ham

8 slices of Emmentaler or Gruyere cheese

Place the chicory, in one layer, in a large shallow pan and pour the milk and water over, season with salt and heat until small bubbles appear around the rim of the saucepan.  Reduce the heat cover the saucepan and simmer gently for 20 minutes or until the chicory is tender but not falling apart.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).   Remove the chicory heads from the pan and drain them on a double thickness of kitchen paper.  Wrap each chicory in a slice of ham and then in a slice of cheese.   Lavishly butter a shallow baking dish and arrange the chicory rolls side by side.   Bake undisturbed, in the middle of the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts, and serve immediately from the baking dish.   

              

                                          SELLERIESALAT MIT APFLEN

                                             (Celeriac and Apple Salad)

A delicious, aromatic salad.

6 tbsp homemade mayonnaise or a well-known commercial variety

3 tbsp sour cream or Greek yogurt

2 ½ tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped

1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

½ tsp of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 large tart cooking apple, cored, peeled and sliced

750 g (1 ½ lb) celeriac, peeled, sliced, boiled for 20-25 minutes drained thoroughly and patted dry.

Mix the mayonnaise with the sour cream or yogurt, the finely chopped herbs and season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Gently, but thoroughly, stir in the apple and celeriac slices until well coated with the sauce.  Taste for seasoning ad adjust accordingly and serve immediately or refrigerate and serve chilled.

                                  SWARTZWALDER KIRCHEN TORTE

                                           (Black Forest Cherry Cake)

I have no words for this cake.

Cake:

6 medium-sized eggs

300 g (1½ cup) sugar

1 pinch of salt

Vanilla

130 g (1 cup) self-raising flour

45 g (about 1/3 cup) cocoa powder

1½ tsp baking powder

1 tbsp clarified butter (optional)

(Heat the butter very gently, remove the foam and spoon the clear butter into a bowl)

A little more for brushing the cake tin

Syrup:

375 ml (1½ cup) fresh orange juice

2-3 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp Kirsh

Filling:

1 tin poached Morello (sour) cherries, (240 g/8 oz) strained fruit and patted dried or

 240 g (8 oz) of fresh cherries, stoned, poached in a light syrup, strained and patted dried

Topping:

500 ml (2 cups) thick cream

75 g (2½ oz) icing sugar

2 tbsp Kirsh

Garnish:

Chocolate curls

2-3 red Maraschino cherries

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350F) and brush a 28 cm (11 inch) round cake tin with clarified butter.

First, prepare the cake.  Whip the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla together until tripled in bulk.  Sift over the flour and cocoa mixture, a little at a time, gently folding with a flexible spatula.  Finally add the clarified butter, if using.  Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake, for 25-30 minutes or until a tester, inserted in the middle of the cake, comes out clean.  Run a knife around the rim of the tin, and reverse the cake on a rack to cool

Meanwhile, whip cream with icing sugar to stiff peaks. Pour in the Kirsh and whip just until the liqueur is absorbed.

Cut the cake in two equal layers and place the one layer on a round serving dish. Sprinkle evenly with syrup and spread, sparingly, with whipped cream.  Arrange the Morello cherries on top.  Cover gently with the other layer of cake, sprinkle with syrup and cover the top and sides with the remaining whipped cream.  Gently press the chocolate curls into the sides and top of the cake and garnish with 3-4 maraschino cherries. Cover and refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. 

Best Wishes to You All